Urging Merger
by fevil-devil
Summary: A marriage that claims to be un-arranged might ensue, though if it were by the choices of the arranged, they would have nothing to do with one another. Merricup.
1. Chapter 1

A father can often tell when his son is upset, though for Stoic the Vast, it was more difficult a feet than one would think. He wasn't who you would call the greatest father, but he did his best to protect the village and his son, and that was all anyone could ever ask of him. However, even he could tell that the news he would have to break to his son wouldn't bode well, no matter the delivery. He found Hiccup in his room, at his desk, as per usual. The boy turned his head at the sound of his father's loud footsteps.

"Hey dad, what's up?" he asked casually, unawares of the weight Stoic was about to place on his shoulders. Stoic rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Hiccup, sit down," he began, "I've got something to talk to you about." Confused, Hiccup did as he was told and Toothless ran over to his bed. "Do you remember the DuBroch clan? You may not. You were so young when we first signed the treaty." Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed.

"I remember being used as a human punching bag by their princess. Yea." He rubbed his arm nostalgically. He did not recall their princess in the greatest of fondness. She wasn't as horrible as his cousin had been, but her methods of play weren't particularly pleasant. He remembered always practicing archery with her and acting as the dummy that balanced the apple upon his head. He remembered ducking and diving away from her wayward arrows as they would narrowly miss his head, let alone the apple atop it. She would constantly complain of his uncooperativeness and scowl at him in the most difficult ways. This wasn't to mention the times she enjoyed wrestling, only doing so because she knew full well she would win. Hiccup was never a very strong child. Actually, he had only begun to grow into his Viking charms just recently. However as a child, it couldn't have been easier for a young and very aggressive girl to beat him up. Though she always did it with a sweet smile, and always offered a hand once she had won. It was probably the only sweet gesture he had ever received from her; aside for a hug goodbye. That's what he got for being the chief's son; he was always left to entertain and the keep the company of the other children.

"Yes, Princess Merida," Stoic chuckled nervously. "Well, they're coming to visit again."

"What? No… why? Is there something wrong with the treaty?" Stoic raised his hands to assure his son.

"No! No. There's nothing wrong with the treaty. They just. The DunBroch clan just wants to try and _strengthen_ it." Both men winced at the insinuation.

"Strengthen how?" Hiccup replied, his voice full of skepticism, as if he was slowly coming suspect the angle of this conversation. Stoic took a deep breath, trying to word his phrases carefully as not to bring the worst out of the situation. He had had a hard time saying no to the Lady Eleanor. She was quite the forceful woman and even as he was aware that Hiccup would not take the situation lightly, he couldn't turn the Queen down.

"They're bringing the Princess with them in hopes that the two of you could…"

"No. No. No. No!" Hiccup groaned, knowing full well how his father was about to finish his sentence. He leaned his head back and put his body into showing his discomfort."You can tell them I decline their offer."

"Well it's too late for that. They're already on their way!" his father exclaimed bashfully. He wasn't particularly fond of admitting how little control he had over the state of affairs.

"Oh come on Dad! An arranged marriage? Seriously?"

"It is not an arranged marriage. We're not forcing you to-."

"It's implied." The two men stared at each other intently for a moment, Stoic's eyes shifting about awkwardly. He knew his son was right, but there was little he could do about the situation for the moment being.

"Right well, that's all I had to say. I'll just be… I'll just be downstairs."

"Right, you do that." Stoic stumbled down the narrow staircase. The second Hiccup found that his father was out of ear shot, he ran towards Toothless and guided him to the window. He needed a midnight flight to clear his mind.

Time to himself did nothing more than agitate him further. He felt that he was right and almost nothing good came out of sitting about and thinking about how correct he was over everyone else. Hiccup couldn't think of how Merida could possibly react when his mind finally wandered to her. As he remembered her, she seemed to be strong willed and very hard headed. She would either take this as he was, or be horribly accepting of the idea. If the latter were to be true, then she would stop at nothing to marry him. At least, that what he could assume. It had been far too long since he had interacted with the princess, but their relationship reminded him too unkindly to that of the one he shared with his dear cousin Dagger. If what they shared was anything like what he had with his family, then he wanted nothing to do with it.

* * *

><p>"Mother! We went through this! I'm <em>not<em> getting married!" Merida called out, clutching her four poster bed. Eleanor was practically dragging her daughter by her arm, struggling to get her out of the castle and onto the ship. They were to be in Burk in a few days and the Princess was creating a dent in their schedule.

"Merida, be reasonable! We're not forcing you to get married. We're visiting Berk and you're greeting the Chief's son!"

"I'm not going!"

"Merida!"

"Mother, of all the suitors. Berk's wee little lamb? The poor thing could barely hold himself up on his own two legs. I'd break him."

"Now Merida, we just want what's best. He could've changed," Eleanor prompted, giving up on forcing her daughter to move. "As nations of the seas, we must come together and to strengthen our bonds and forces. This is the best way to do that. Berk is a strong little village with a great amount of resources and skill. They slay dragons! They could be a great asset to us." Merida gripped to the pole tighter and Eleanor sighed. She walked over to her daughter, defeated under the circumstances. Regardless, she would have her go, but Eleanor simply despaired at the saddened look on her daughter's face. "Look dearie, you needn't marry the boy, but at least meet him? We've already agreed to go."

"You're the queen! Can't you just call it off?" Eleanor shook her head and began to affectionately comb through her daughter's unruly hair with her fingers.

"Bit too late for that I'm afraid. We've made the promise and agreement to arrive in Berk, and that we shall keep."

* * *

><p>Stoic had gathered most of the people around the docks. He had gone through the trouble of taking a bath and even attempting to mangle at his beard, which he soon decided to leave be. The Queen of DunBroch really made him nervous. Hiccup stood boldly next to him, an annoyed expression on his face. Just behind were the other Dragon Riders, all equally uneasy of the clan's arrival, especially as they had to hide their dragons at the academy; at least, for the time being. Before long, the crowd could make out the ships sailing towards them in the distance. The white sails floated through the foggy day and the few people awing at the immense ship could be heard from the back. The side of the boat was decorated with shields and detailed carvings, most often that of bears. The Celtic styled designs were very intricate and almost unnecessary on such a large ship. Hiccup fidgeted with the side of his armor, trying his best to give off a decent impression. The last thing he needed was to be pushed around by this princess again. He had grown and was fully capable of handling himself. At least, he hoped he was.<p>

To be quite frank, he was as nervous as a person could get, and certainly more anxious than anyone in the village.

As the ship docked, the passengers began to descend. The first of the royalty was the Queen and King. The King was a burly man, who reminded Hiccup greatly of his own father. There were masses of bright orange hair that stuck out in all directions. The man walked with a limp, a plank of wood where his right leg was, and seemed equally, if not more so as awkward as Stoic. The Queen was a different story almost entirely. She was a tall and slender woman, made taller and more slender by her long flowing brown hair, streaked with a line of grey. Her manner of walking was elegant and kind as she held gently onto her husband's arm. The Queen was not as fearsome as Stoic had last recalled and less so to Hiccup who had only remembered her from his father's words. Soon following the couple was a set of triplets, all with bright orange hair like their father. It seemed the entire family had received the trait. The boys ran off the ramp frantically, winding back and forth until you could barely tell which was which. Not that it had been possible to begin with as they were all completely identically and equally as mischievous. Hiccup could tell right away that they would have to watch out for those too. They were too much like the twins, but with ten times the brain capacity.

There was only one other member of the royal family that had yet to leave the ship. They waited for a moment too long as nothing happened. The crew members looked confusedly at the beginning of the ramp, expecting the Princess to step out. The Queen looked more annoyed than she was perturbed by the situation and called for her daughter, hoping to be as discrete as possible. Eventually, Lady Eleanor marched back up the ramp, forcing a smile to the crowd as she passed again. Hiccup could just make out the irritated expression she truly gave off and through his fear, he was mildly amused. It seemed that the Princess was just as eager as he was at the idea of wedding. Finally, the two women stepped out into view and though the entirety of the entrance was strained, they managed to make their way down onto the dock. Merida hadn't changed much since Hiccup had last seen her, though her expression wasn't the usual smile he had once known. She looked to be as irritated as her mother as she was dragged across the dock to stand next to her family. What had really caught Hiccup's notice was the fact that her hair had easily out ruled that of her father's and brothers' combined. It was almost laughable that it grew to three times the size of her head and Hiccup stifled a chuckle. The Princess did not leave his amusement unnoticed and found the second to glare at him, which he was immediately taken aback by. This would certainly be an interesting meeting.

* * *

><p>"Well she seems, nice," Astrid commented as soon as the Royal family was out of earshot. Stoic took no time in greeting them and showing them to their temporary home. Of course, she had meant her statement in the most sarcastic manner possible. Hiccup wasn't the only one to notice how she had glared.<p>

"Yea, did you get a load of her hair?" Tuffnut sniggered, gesturing to his own head and exaggerating its size, then comparing it to Ruffnut's.

"The thing looked like it could eat you!" she added, grabbing her brother and using her arms as the jaws of an imaginary monster. The twins couldn't get enough of their own jokes.

"Guys, guys, is this really necessary?" Hiccup complained, hoping to calm his friends.

"He's right," Astrid chimed, "I mean, Hiccup has to marry her, let's not make things worse."

"I don't have to marry her. I just have to meet her. Our parents think that once we meet, we'll fall in love."

"Ha!" Snotlout snorted. "Fall in love with you? She'd have to be blind, deaf, _and_ stupid." He doubled over laughing, and Astrid did the honor of helping him to the ground with a good kick, stomping the side of his face with her boot. As Snotlout apologized with a stubborn tone in his voice, Fishlegs walked forward.

"Hiccup, you have to admit, she's a bit, scary."

"Yea, you're telling me," he huffed.

"Are you really going to go through with it?" Astrid asked, stepping off of Snotlout's face. "I mean, what are you going to do? Could you really say no to your dad like that? He's the chief. And she's the Princess. It sounds like a pretty big deal." Once again, Hiccup could always rely on Astrid to point out the most obviously painful aspects of any situation.

"Thank you Astrid," he announced, indicating that he wanted her to stop talking.

"What _are_ you going to do?" Snotlout repeated. They all looked to Hiccup for his answer.

"I… am going to go meet the Princess of DunBroch."


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone in the village knew to leave the two alone. It was practically made as a public announcement along with the news of the DunBroch family's arrival. Hiccup could feel eyes follow him as he walked to the Royal family's temporary hut. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the large wooden door, hoping they wouldn't answer. Of course, seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Lady Elinor.

"Hello Hiccup," she greeted formally. "Come in." Hiccup stepped in and stood awkwardly by the front of the home. It looked like all of the other huts in the area, though a bit larger, and a bit grander. Hiccup wondered if his dad had cleared the hut for the occasion. "Merida will be down in just a moment." He nodded respectfully, not particularly eager to meet the Princess. A scuffle and a few thumps could be heard upstairs, followed by a couple of hollers and shrieks and the calm footsteps of royalty sauntering down the steps. Merida was unchanged from when she had stepped off the ship, though it could be argued that her hair had become even more unruly. Possibly because it seemed that the Queen had brought a brush to it, or perhaps it was the fighting that may have ensued. The three of them stood awkwardly in silence for a while, Hiccup receiving a full blast of Merida's deathly glare. In a sense, she was more frightening than the dragons.

"Hello Princess. It's good to see you again." His tone lacked luster but his message somehow managed to make its way into the air. More silence followed and the Queen elbowed her daughter, prompting her to speak. Merida jerked.

"Likewise," she replied. Lady Elinor sighed and pushed Merida and Hiccup out the door.

"Why don't you to go out for a nice, long walk. It's lovely outside. Talk for a while, while we unpack and settle in. This could be a long stay." The door slammed promptly behind them. Hiccup stood shocked on the porch while Merida huffed and walked off.

"Merida, where are you going?" Hiccup asked, bothered by her attitude.

"Away from you," she yelled back. Hiccup rolled his eyes and had half a mind to let her run off on the island.

"She's going to find them you know," Astrid's voice called out to him. Hiccup jumped at the sound and turned to face her, her hand on her hip and her face dawning an annoyingly knowing expression. He looked back at where Merida had disappeared. "And she's going to kill them. Or at least, she'll try. Are you going to wait to see who wins?"

"Augh, I hate it when you're right," Hiccup moaned, turning around and making a beeline out towards the Princess. It wasn't difficult to spot her beacon of hair as she trudged through the woods with greater skill than Hiccup had anticipated. She seemed to know what she was doing as she jumped over logs and roots with the help of the lower tree branches. "Merida!" Hiccup hollered. The girl whipped her head back and looked surprised at sound of her name. It was the first time he had seen an expression on her face that did not look as if she wanted to murder him, though it was short lived.

"Go away!" she called back. Her accent was more prominent than ever and Hiccup laughed to himself.

"Oh come on! I just want to talk!" He began to run after her, careful not to catch his left foot on anything. It was a bit more prone to accident than his right. She was certainly a fast runner when she put her mind to it.

"We are not talking!" she repeated, picking up her pace. Hiccup would have thought that the bow and quiver would weigh her down, but he thought wrong. He would have to stop her before she got too far into the forest. Any time they had to hide their dragons, they would release them and let them wander away from the village. Merida was heading out just a bit too far.

"Look, I don't want to marry you alright?" Hiccup admitted, hoping he would catch her if she knew his lack of intension. Thankfully, she began to slow and came to a stop. Hiccup was huffing from the jog and finally caught up to her.

"You don't want to marry me," she said. It was less of a question than it was a statement. "Then why are you chasing me?"

"Because the woods are dangerous," he fibbed. It was partially the truth. If she was going to know about the dragons, he would have to find a better way to introduce her to them.

"I can take care of myself thank you!" Merida said stubbornly, turning to walk further into the woods.

"Merida!" Hiccup whined. Suddenly, he heard a rustle in the bushes nearby and he looked immediately to see black hide. He really couldn't have worse timing and he really didn't need a repetition of introducing Astrid to the idea. The large reptile peaked through the bushes like an excited pup, wanting to play. Hiccup shooed him away, attempting to be stealthy. "Not now Toothless." The dragon seemed to comply when he frowned and sauntered off.

"What was that," the princess inquired.

"What was what?"

"That noise. Don't act like you didn't hear anything, Hiccup." Merida held out her bow and pointed the end at Hiccup's face, aiming for his nose.

"Look, where do you plan on going anyway?" he asked, changing the subject as the princess continued to look around cautiously, removing the end of her bow from his face. "Were you just going to walk into the forest and hope to find something to whisk you away?" Those were probably a bad choice of words, seeing as there was something that could do that, but he hoped she wouldn't find them just yet.

"I was going to shoot some arrows," she explained absentmindedly, clearly not caring for the conversation. "I know I heard something," she muttered, poking through the bushes that Toothless had been hiding not moments ago. Hiccup stood silently and prayed that his dragon had long fled, as he wished he could.

"How good are you with that…" he wondered, asking both because he intended to distract her with her interests, and because he was very weary of the weapon she held. She pulled an arrow from her quiver around her waist, having had shot her last one at a rabbit, and mounted it on her bow, not yet pulling back. Hiccup wanted to stop her from doing anything rash and didn't know how to proceed.

"I'm good enough," she muttered. All of her attention was set to finding what had made the rustling noise. She knew full well it was much too large to be a small animal and stomped loudly about. Merida remembered her mother mentioning dragons and she began to wonder how well her arrows would pierce through dragon hide. Thinking about her results, she decided against her search and calmly returned her arrow to its home. Hiccup released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as quietly as possible. "Have you really got dragons here?" she asked, briskly continuing her trek deeper into the woods. Hiccup was complied to follow. He hoped that he would be able to at least introduce the dragons to her, as she seemed to be the biggest issue. Her stubborn personality didn't leave much room for friendly dragons. They had already moved in with the rest of the community, and hiding them was proving to be a larger problem than anyone had anticipated. Showing the royal family could either be disastrous or lovely. He prayed for the latter.

"Yea, and they're kind of everywhere," he began, both telling her the truth and hoping to scare her with it. Maybe if she knew how frequent a dragon encounter could be, she would stop wandering. Unknown to Hiccup, Merida was curious to know about the dragon that had snuck up on them earlier. "You've got your typical Terrible Terrors, the occasional Gronckle and Deadly Nadder…"

"Yea, I don't care. Don't know what any of those are anyway."

"Right…Well, regardless, it's pretty dangerous out here if you-,"

"What do you do with them? How do you kill them?"

"Uh, just the usual stuff, axes and traps… there's actually a great story behind that…"

"Again, don't really care."

"Right," he mumbled, having expected her reply. He looked up at her as she loosened the string on her bow. "You know, your bow won't work on a dragon," he pointed out, understanding why she had asked in the first place. As stubborn as the princess was, she wasn't stupid.

"Yea," she replied, turning around to look at Hiccup with an expression that questioned if he thought her daft, "I figured that part out."

Without warning, a large dark figure leaped from another set of bushes and onto Hiccup. It didn't take him long to figure out it was Toothless, but to Merida, the sight was horrifying. Toothless licked his face mercilessly and Hiccup couldn't help but laugh while simultaneously trying to keep his composure and push his dragon off of him. Merida drew her bow again, as it was the only thing she knew how to do, especially in the situation.

"Hiccup!" she screamed, aiming her arrow at the beast. She wasn't sure if she should shoot, mostly because his mirth confused and frustrated her.

"No, no wait!" Hiccup cried through his laughter, holding his hands up at Merida. "He's not going to hurt you." She eyed Toothless nervously as he got off of his friend and backed away. He looked at Merida with great curiosity and his excitement had yet to subside. Hiccup sighed at the feeling of déjà vu he had and held Toothless' saddle. She still held her bow tight and aimed at Toothless, something the dragon didn't particularly appreciate. Hiccup walked between the two and used himself as a barrier, hoping that the princess cared enough not to shoot him. He looked intently at Merida's scared expression and in the same tone he used to train dragons, he spoke to her. "Lower your bow. It's alright. He's not going to hurt you. He's friendly. Come on. You'll be okay. I won't let him hurt you. Let me explain." Never allowing her dumbstruck gaze to leave Toothless, she loosened the string and placed the arrow back into its quiver. Her eyes darted over to the saddle and make-shift tail, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"You're friends?" she noted.

"Yes. He's my friend. Merida, this is Toothless. Toothless, this is Merida." He put his hand on Toothless' nose and reached out to gesture that Merida give him her hand. This was going better than it had with Astrid. "Come here. It'll be fine. Just relax and show him he can trust you and he'll show you the same respect." Quietly, she walked forward and gave Hiccup her hand. He hadn't noticed how small the princess was before, but his hand dwarfed hers. She had become fascinated in the few seconds that she had to absorb the situation. From the looks of things, the people here rode dragons. The saddle was enough to tell her that. She wanted to try. "Close your eyes and look down. Stay calm and let him come to you." She did as he said and shut her eyes, her hand still outstretched. Her heart was racing as the seconds lulled by and she jumped when she felt the cold scales touch her hand. Merida opened her eyes and looked at the large reptile, watching his eyes open and dilate. She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and laughed.

"Amazing. Hello Toothless," she grinned, hugging the dragon's head like she did her horse, Angus. Toothless snuggled into the space of her neck, taking to her quickly.

"Well that went better than expected…" Hiccup muttered to himself, though it did not go unheard by the girl cuddling his dragon.

"Could I ride him?" she asked excitedly. Hiccup wasn't sure how to feel about her sudden change of attitude towards him at the sight of a dragon. He gave her a skeptical look, and she caught her behavior and immediately shut herself down. "I. My mother told me you all killed dragons." Hiccup nodded solemnly.

"We used to."

"But you don't. You ride them."

"We don't anymore."

"What happened?"

"I couldn't, wouldn't kill him." He walked towards Toothless and touched his hide protectively. Merida looked at him sincerely, for once, not sending him a glare. Her lips thinned, nearing a small smile but her stubborn nature wouldn't allow it through.

"My mother doesn't know that," she realized. She remembered the fire in her mother's eyes at the idea of bonding with such a strong and powerful island. "Or my father. They think you kill dragons. All of you."

"Yea, I know. That's why had to hide them," Hiccup explained. Merida began to pace, stopping only to order Hiccup about. She became quite animated when she was upset or worried.

"Hiccup, you have to tell them."

"I know. But I was just giving it a bit of time."

"This is going to break the treaty! It's going to start a war!"

"Thanks for the obvious princess."

"You're a threat now! All of Berk is a threat!"

"Yea, everybody already thinks we're using the dragons as weapons. Add to the pile why don't you?"

"Augh! I knew we never should have come here!" He didn't want to make a comment to her exclamation, knowing full well it would only set her off further. He wanted to say that she shouldn't have come, that she could just go home, that they could claim hatred of one another and call off any form of wedding that could possibly ever happen. In his mind, it would have been best that she just leave. But he couldn't say any of that. Instead, he fell silent, distracting himself with Toothless' crooked harness. Abruptly, the princess grabbed Hiccup's arm and dragged him down to the ground, forcing him to take a seat. "I want to know everything, right here, right now."

"Wait, I can't just…"

"Our parents think we're 'falling in love'." She said the words with a tinge of disgust in her tone. "I get to learn all about dragons, and we can maybe figure out a way out of this problem!" Hiccup wanted to point out flaws in her plan but he could not place anything specific except for his complete apathy in explaining things to her. He wasn't particularly fond of the girl, though he could read now that he didn't despise her. It wasn't much to go off of. He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head, contemplating where the beginning of his story was.

"Fine. But we're going to be here for a very, long while."

**Author's Note:** I'm surprised at how spontaneously popular this story became so I felt compelled to write quicker. I'm also surprised at how many people thought this was a one shot haha. Sorry the plot line seems a bit rushed but I got excited. Thank you so much to everyone who's reading. I am so grateful to all of you and I'm so happy that you enjoy my work.

**Edit:** Sorry for the crazy coding on this chapter. I'm not sure what happened but thank you to _Zharlee_ for pointing it out!


	3. Chapter 3

Merida scratched the underside of Toothless' neck until he collapsed, finding a spot that even Hiccup had quite the time locating. "When you look at them like this, they aren't all that scary are they?" she commented.

"Well, not everybody sees them this way. We're a threat to them and they defend themselves by fighting us," Hiccup explained, sitting next to her. The conversation, though mostly a long winded explanation, went fairly well. There was no pain inflicted on his person, and the princess seemed quite attentive to the topic. Hiccup had told her almost everything he had known of them, finding that it would be pointless to hide anything at the point where he stood. It occurred to him that she would be a curious soul and that answering all of her questions now would save him a lot of time and stress later on, in case she ever felt the need to ask one of the other dragon riders. Many of them would not have handled it as calmly. He raised his hand to brush at Toothless' hide as well and grazed Merida's hand slightly. She flinched and gave Hiccup a stubborn side-glance before standing up.

"I'm going back to the village. Do not follow me," she ordered. Hiccup stumbled up and walked after her.

"Ah, princess…" Merida whipped around abruptly and looked Hiccup directly in the eyes, staring him down even though he was taller than her. The deep blue of her gaze pierced into him, contrasting greatly on her pale skin and bright orange hair.

"Call me "princess" again and I'll stick an arrow up your-!"

"Got it!" Hiccup replied hurriedly, raising his hands in surrender. "Got it." He did not want to know where the arrow was headed. She hadn't moved and only continued to glare at him in a very uncomfortable close range. He wasn't sure what he was meant to do and only managed to look about nervously. "Merida."

"That is my name. Use it."

"I've used it before…" he countered, his eyebrows furrowing.

"And now you're going to use it every time you call me." She sauntered off in a huff, leaving Hiccup to roll his eyes. It was going to be a very long stay if her personalities were going to keep flipping. He was having a hard time keeping track. Turning back to Toothless, he ordered him to go off further into the woods. He seemed to be resistant in staying away from the village for long periods of time.

"I know bud, but you can't be here right now. Other people aren't going to take lightly to dragons." Toothless licked Hiccup affectionately. "Haha, I miss you too. Now go. And make sure the others don't get into any trouble!" After Toothless was out of sight, Hiccup assumed it had been enough time since the princess had left. He wondered if she would be able to keep all that he had told her a secret. She seemed just as concerned with the subject of secrecy and war as he had been, and that alone had persuaded him into speaking freely to her. But she still seemed rather rebellious and he couldn't tell which side she was rebelling against. In fact, he could hardly distinguish how many sides there were to her mind, only that he hoped she wasn't against him. And that if she wasn't, she had a very odd way of showing compliance and cooperation.

Seconds upon stepping out of the forest, he was bombarded with comments of concern.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice called out. He looked over at the origin of the sound and saw the dragon academy walking towards him. He waved at them indicating that he was perfectly fine, aside from being covered in dragon spit.

"Oh Thor, Hiccup you're alright!" Fishlegs blurted in obvious relief.

"We were worried when the princess came out of the forest by herself." Astrid elaborated.

"Yea, we thought that she killed you," Ruffnut offered, in a tone that wasn't all that worried. In fact, she seemed quite eager with the idea. Tuffnut laughed along with his sister.

"She probably could have too." The twins laughed again and butted heads in agreement. Hiccup gave them a face that emanated his amusement at their joke.

"Haha, very funny guys. Look," he said, addressing Astrid and Fishlegs, "she found out about the dragons."

"What? How?" asked Astrid. "It hasn't even been a day."

"Well, we ran into Toothless, who apparently has less subtlety than Snotlout does."

"Hey!" he called out, clearly offended. Astrid pushed his head to the ground, not wanting to enter that territory of conversation.

"I had to tell her everything, but she's keeping it to herself," he continued.

"And you trust her?" Astrid exclaimed, "Hiccup, she could start a war between the two lands. If she tells anyone about…"

"We don't have a choice," he explained, "I'm sure it will be fine. Who's going to believe her anyway?" Astrid gave him another knowing look and Fishlegs nervously shuffled about. Hiccup had to be confident that Merida would not reveal their secret as she had said. She certainly had the motive to do so. He could only imagine that it would free her from their arrangement, though it could also push them together as the Queen may decide that they want to go ahead with the marriage in hopes to give Berk less of an incentive to attack. Not that they would have. They had better things to do than attacking random kingdoms; like attacking one another. He thought of that specifically with the twins in mind.

* * *

><p>Merida was, perplexed, at best. Her first day at Berk and she had already made quite the discovery; one that she could not share with her family. On her way back to the hut that she had no choice but to call home, she thought of what she would tell her mother upon her return. She was sure to interrogate her. Merida couldn't decide what she wanted. The dragon topic was out of the question. She would need more time to think about that one herself. On one hand, she could tell her mother how dreadful Hiccup was. It had a chance at getting them all off this island. But that would be a lie. She didn't particularly hate the boy. Not that she could call him a boy any longer. The wee lamb she once knew had really grown and it shocked her. He was much taller than she was and relatively built. Even though their society was a little less developed than she was used to Hiccup seemed to break the stereotype. Telling her mother that she enjoyed Hiccup's company, or at least was tolerant of it, would put her over the moon in excitement. She wasn't sure which was worse. By the time she arrived at the door, Merida hadn't decided what she was going to say. Without even the chance to knock, the door swung open and her mother stood patiently, hiding her eager thoughts through thin lips.<p>

"How was it?" she asked as Merida made a beeline for the table covered in food.

"How was what?" she replied, an apple not swiftly in her hands. Her mother raised an eyebrow and Merida took a bite out of her apple, aware that her mother wasn't in a particularly playful mood. "It was, alright." Lady Elinor raised both of her eyebrows, encouraging that her daughter elaborate. "He was, nice," she continued, swallowing her last word. Her mother smiled at the notion and the tension in the room lessened greatly. It seems that Merida had said the right thing.

:"What did you two talk about?" she asked, turning to more casual conversation and genuine curiosity Merida stiffened again. This was the topic she had been determined to avoid. She wracked her brain for an answer that would both please her mother and leave her unsuspecting. She hadn't quite decided what to do with her information just yet.

"Just about hunting," she said, deciding it wasn't a lie.

"Was that all? Hunting?" She had difficulty relating to such a topic, but let it drop. She took a seat at the table and pulled out another chair for Merida, gesturing to it. "I'm glad you're trying Merida. It is really very good to hear that you are handling this so well, considering…" her voice trailed off but her daughter knew full well where she had been going with her statement. The last time her mother had tried to organize and arranged marriage for her between clans, she had not taken the situation well and went to search for a spell to change her mother's mind. It certainly worked as the spell turned her into a bear. She couldn't really make many decisions for her as a bear now could she? But Merida couldn't leave her that way, and went through a heck of a time trying to set things straight. It was a very long process of learning for both of them; though she couldn't say her mother had learned too much as she was still sitting through what looked like an arranged marriage.

"Yea… well I don't think turning him into a bear would help anyone…" she mumbled, having had considered the option briefly. She couldn't imagine Toothless would be pleased had his rider been harmed. She wouldn't get away with it. Not that she really felt the need to turn him into a bear anymore. Hiccup was pleasant enough. Her mother chuckled, assuming her statement was a joke.

"No it wouldn't. Well, it is good to hear you two getting along as we've been invited to dinner tomorrow night at their home." Merida groaned at the news. Even as Hiccup was tolerable, he wasn't _this_ tolerable.

"Moooom!" she whined. Lady Elinor was having none of her complaints and guided her upstairs to their sleeping area. It could hardly be considered a room as it was the entirety of the floor.

"Now now, it's just a dinner. The chief and I have some catching up to do." Merida rolled her eyes in frustration and flopped onto her bed, her face falling into her pillow and her hair strewn about. She had really had enough of her stay in Berk.

* * *

><p>Hiccup hadn't told his father what had happened. He was stressed enough as it was without the added knowledge of the princess having discovered the dragons. Stoick seemed to be a nervous wreck by the time Hiccup was home. It was bizarre to his father in such a state. He was clearing things from the room and straightening the weapons that had been mounted on the wall, eventually and finally sitting down to sharpen his axe as per usual, though in a more anxious fashion.<p>

"Dad…" Hiccup said wearily, not at all complaining and instead being very weary of his father. Stoick jumped at the sound of his son's voice.

"They're coming for dinner tomorrow night," he blurted. Now Hiccup moaned in complaint. "I don't know how it came about! It just suddenly happened that Lady Elinor invited herself to supper." He scratched his head in frustration of the situation. Hiccup noticed that he himself was becoming more and more fearful of the lady, even as he had barely spoken to her. She seemed much too skillful with getting her way, which also came to have him question her daughter's skill in such tactics. He approached his father and placed a hand on his defeated shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Dad," he reassured his father, not even knowing himself.

* * *

><p>The dinner table was awkward that evening. There were eight people seated in the room, Stoick at the head of the table and to his sides were Lady Elinor and Fergus. Hiccup was seated next to Merida's father while she was beside her mother. To his left were two of the triplets, though he couldn't tell which ones. They had to be Harris, Hubert or Hamish. Regardless of which of the triplets was seated next to him, he was becoming increasingly aware of their disgust of the food before them and desire to shove it all onto a victim's lap. Across the way was the last triplet, who was somehow communicating with his brothers with odd gestures. Other then the odd mumble, the table was eerily quiet. Elinor cleared her throat, urging someone to say something, and eventually gave up.<p>

"Thank you for having us Stoick," she began, breaking the silence. The chief fidgeted in his seat and grunted.

"Good to have you here," he replied. The conversation hadn't lasted particularly long. She cleared her throat again.

"How have you two been getting along?" she tried again, addressing Hicucp and Merida. The two looked at one another tentatively, unsure as to how the other would respond or may have already responded. If their lie wasn't consistent, then they would surely be found out. Hiccup opened his mouth several times, tempted to speak before deciding that what he was going to say was too obvious.

"I, already told you mum," Merida offered, stuttering through her sentence slowly. "We been getting along just fine."

"Really?" Fergus laughed, clearly shocked by her response. "I'm surprised you haven't gone and ripped the poor boy's other foot off!" Hiccup's lips thinned and he cringed internally at the comment; though it had been a fear of his own since he had seen her arrive. In honesty, he was surprised that they were getting along decently. It wasn't a lie, but they certain weren't friends. It was more like they were accomplices to a major operation. Merida laughed nervously.

"Well, my boy's been doing well for himself," Stoick boasted, though it sounded more defensive than it did boastful. "I'm sure he can handle himself just fine, can't you Hiccup?" Hiccup picked at his food and made an uncertain noise that couldn't be particularly discerned as a yes or no. He could tell by the direction of the conversation that his dad wanted desperately to discuss the dragons and how proud he was, but Hiccup stared at his father, telling him with his eyes that he didn't need to enter that topic of conversation.

"Yea. Being son of the chief can do that to you," he said, trying to soften the mood.

"Try being a princess, see how well that goes for you," Merida added, laughing slightly to herself. Hiccup smiled, aware that she was trying to help, as well as tease him for constantly calling her princess. Her mother glanced harshly at her. Merida rolled her eyes dramatically. "Mum, it's just a joke. Relax."

"A princess should not be-."

"_Mum_," Merida whined. Hiccup quickly finished his meal and stood at the table, bringing his plate with him.

"I'm just going to go for a walk around the stables," he announced. By stables of course, he had meant to find Toothless. Even in hiding, Hiccup still needed to take care of his best friend. Lady Elinor perked up at his offer.

"Stables? Merida loves to ride. Why don't you go with him dear?" she suggested. Just as Merida opened her mouth to oppose, the triplet's plan had gone to ruin. They had been secretly mucking about beneath the table, unbeknownst to the guests. Hiccup had decided not to say a word. Having them as enemies seemed far worse than being collateral damage to their mischief. The table leapt and tilted, spilling most of the plates and left-over food onto the ground. Hiccup took the opportunity to abscond. Merida looked quickly at the mess that had begun to unfold, beginning with her father yelling at the boys, followed by her mother's disgust and displeasure. Suddenly, heading out to the stables didn't seem like such a bad idea, even if she did have to go with Hiccup.

**Author's Note:** About the underdeveloped society comment; it is entirely valid. The time period in which the Vikings existed was approximately 793 A.D. to 1066 A.D. whereas Brave takes place in 14th or 15th century Scotland. I'd say the underdeveloped comment was fairly appropriate, if not an understatement. Just quickly defending myself beforehand. Hiccup is supposed to be in Scotland though, funny enough. Part of his history.


	4. Chapter 4

"I know I haven't been on the island for very long, but I'm sure I would have noticed stables if there had been any," Merida said, running to catch up to Hiccup. Even from such a distance, Merida could hear her father crying out and she was surprisingly grateful that her mother had suggested that she leave along with Hiccup.

"'Stables' is a very loose term, Prin-," he stopped mid sentence, just catching his mistake, as well as a deadly glance from his audience. "Merida," he amended slowly, acknowledging her request and lingering threat. When her expression softened again, he continued. "If you can't figure out what we keep in our stables by this point, I'd be surprised." Merida's eyes widened in realization of their destination.

"The dragons. You have a home in Berk for them?" she asked.

"Of course! These guys are our friends and we treat them like our family. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't give them a home of their own?" She could feel a tug at her lip while he spoke and forced a straight face the second she noticed it. It was kind of him to take care of his friends as well as he did. It reminded her so much of how she felt about Angus, and she missed him silently. "But that's not where we're going." Merida's eyebrows furrowed and she ran ahead to catch up to him, pulling his shoulder around.

"What do you mean 'that's not where we're going'?" Without moving, Hiccup looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke.

"I appreciate that you take an interest in the dragons, I really do, but you've been here a day and I've told you more than I ever expected to. We can't just let an outsider in like this." Merida huffed, upset over her circumstances but understanding of his words. Biting her lip, she let go of his shoulder and took a step back.

"Alright then, where are we going?" she implored. Hiccup shrugged, beginning to turn away.

"Walking." Her eyebrows furrowed again, frustrated now that she could not understand him in the slightest. It was a waste of her energy to fight with him, seeing as she was not soon to get what she wanted, regardless of the argument. Merida noted the large bell-like features and arches scattered across the island. She attempted to understand and guess on her own time what these were used for. Never had she seen things quite like it anywhere else.

"Hiccup," she called. He turned around and slowed his walk to match hers. She pointed at the well-like structure. "What on earth is that?" Hiccup chuckled, a sense of pride clearly swelling in his chest before he spoke. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his ridiculous action but was glad that the tense atmosphere had evaporated.

"Those," he began in a tone that Merida was beginning to fear and dread, "are our state of the art fire protection systems. I invented them myself."

"You're what?" she chuckled, not unbelieving of what he said, but rather amused at his pride in them. He began again, taking another angle at explaining.

"As you can imagine, everywhere is a constant fire hazard and so -"

"Aye, I can," Merida interrupted purposely. Hiccup caught his tongue and scowled in a mild manner at her, considering her cheeky. She grinned.

"So," he continued, "I've developed these rigs so that Vikings and dragons alike can put out any fires on the island just by tipping over the buckets atop."

"Uh huh, and what are those?" she asked, pointing at the large metal arches.

"Perches," he replied simply, "for the dragons to sit around and loiter. We've had to adjust a lot since they've moved in."

"I can see that." And yet, even though it felt as if the conversation had ended, Hiccup couldn't and wouldn't stop talking about his dragons. Not that Merida had minded entirely. But it was still needless to say the walk wasn't horrible.

It was the moment they returned that was a little less tolerable.

"How were the stables, dear?" Lady Elinor asked her daughter, intending to distract the men from their babbling. Hiccup was about to open his mouth to tell her they had not gone, but Merida quickly beat him to it.

"They were great Mum!" she chimed. A look of pure confusion struck Stoick and he looked to his son for answers. All he saw was the same expression mirror back at him, though there was a hint of horror to it as well. "Hiccup has this beautiful black beauty and he's very friendly." Lady Elinor smiled. Clearly she was excited that her daughter may have taken a liking to her suitor, but Hiccup knew better than that. Merida's sense of curiosity was not to be mistaken for her interest in himself; not that her interest in him was in any way a factor to this situation in a personal sense.

"You two can go riding tomorrow then," her mother commanded, in a manner not unlike her position would suggest. Merida's mischievous act dropped instantly. Spiting Hiccup clearly had not been worth her efforts.

"I'd rather not," she amended.

"And I'd rather you did," Lady Elinor replied. "The boys are being taken care of tomorrow and your father and I will be entertained by the Chief. Unless you'd rather babysit your brothers, I suggest you go out riding." Merida's lips thinned and she looked to Hiccup for support. His eyes widened and he stepped back with his palms facing her, indicating how far away he wanted to stay from this dispute. Huffing, Merida stomped up the stairs, ending the conversation. The Lady turned to Hiccup. "You must forgive my daughter's temper. She really is having a great time on Berk, I'm sure."

* * *

><p>"You've gone out of your mind if you think you're going to let that Princess on any dragon."<p>

"Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup moaned. "What do you suggest I do then?"

"Well, it seems that she's just as reluctant to spend the day with you as you are with her," Fishlegs interjected. "You could just pick her up and drop her off in the woods somewhere. She's already found out about the dragons, what damage could she do?"

"That's a terrible idea Fishlegs," Astrid said, lightly smacking his arm and bruising the small spot. Hiccup furrowed his brows and nose in thought, putting his hand up to stop them from bickering.

"No, it's not," he muttered, looking up at the pair. "I'll just distract her for the day out in the woods."

"You're going to babysit the Princess?" Astrid asked, her tone full of cynicism.

"You're babysitting her brothers," Hiccup reminded, literally pointing towards them as he pointed out their horrid task. The brothers were loveable if not mischievous. Astrid and Fishlegs were saddened by the reminder. "Besides, it's a good way to get her on our side. I don't want to go through with this whole marriage thing anymore than she does but I also don't want to start a feud between the two lands over some dumb power struggle. Seeing my dad and the head of DunBroch together, it's not hard to tell that their brains work about the same way. Once they start a fight, they'll never stop. If getting along with Merida for now will keep the peace, then I'll do whatever it takes."

"And your plan to wiggle your way out of a marriage proposal is?" Astrid inquired.

"Working on it." Hiccup admitted. He didn't have a plan in regards to that. It had only been a day and frankly, he had expected that Merida would be much worse than she had been. Not to mention that she had also been quite accepting. Her curiosity surrounding the dragons came as a complete surprise. It made getting rid of her more difficult. It would have been easiest to scare her off with the dragons, but it would be rather counterproductive. Trying to keep the peace was difficult when emotions were technically involved. Neither party was wrong, making the situation much more complicated than usual. "At least if I'm keeping an eye on her, everyone's happy. Her mother thinks we're bonding, Merida doesn't go blabbing about the dragons, and I can figure out if we can trust her."

"Why would we need to trust her?" Fishlegs asked. Hiccup began walking off and out of the training academy.

"In battles like these, you always need people on the inside."

* * *

><p>Soon after picking Merida up from her hut and watching Snotlout and the twins be pelted by yak bits from the morning breakfast, the two of them started off to the training academy. "You're actually letting me see the dragons today?" Merida asked in earnest. Hiccup, who had been walking slightly ahead of her, turned on his heel and continued to walk backwards as he spoke.<p>

"No." Merida was taken aback as he turned back the same way he had come to face her.

"Okay then," she mumbled, realizing she found his response rather rude and repetitive, "Where are we going then?" He grinned.

"Don't worry about it." From where they stood, Merida could begin to make out a large cage erupting in the distance over the roofs. As they turned a corner, the entire construct emerged and her eyes widened at the sight of it. It shouldn't have shocked her in the logical sense, seeing as it was a location meant to house dragons, but she couldn't help but be impressed. It sat in the middle of the water on a small island-like mound and from their position she stared at it down over a cliff. To the right of the island were a few small pieces of land connected by a rickety bridge. "Come on," Hiccup said, breaking her attention. "This way." He pointed at a downward path that wound along the side of the mainland towards the docks and bridge. They walked in silence on the winding trail and Merida wondered what Hiccup could have been thinking of. For someone who wasn't showing her the stables, they were getting awfully close to them. At the entrance of the bridge connecting the dock and the island was a familiar friend. "Hey buddy!" Hiccup called out. The dragon ran towards him and immediately nuzzled himself into his friend's chest. The boy turned to Merida and explained. "We won't be going very far today. It's just faster this way." She glanced at Toothless and her eyes widened when she realized her situation.

"We're flying?" she breathed.

"Yep," he replied, leaping as he climbed up onto the saddle and held the pieces of leather in front of him. Hiccup gestured for her to climb up and patted the space behind him. Taking a deep breath and mustering up her courage, she stepped forward in a manner as brave as she could muster. She had never flown before and the idea was both exhilarating and frightening. But to be brave was not to do things that others were scared of, but to do what you were scared of. This was certainly a brave act as she was terrified. Merida had mounted a horse before, several in fact, but never a dragon. She hoped it would hold a similar sensation. She walked towards the beast and put her hands on the saddle where she would seat herself and leapt up, imitating what Hiccup had done. She hadn't made it as far as she hoped and scooted up the rest of the way. Hiccup stifled a laughed while she positioned herself properly. "You might want to hold on," he suggested. Merida was skeptical of him, not wanting to put all her trust in a man she hardly knew, but she didn't have much more time to think before Toothless lurched forward and her reflex wrapped herself around his waist. The adrenaline that began to pump through her system was more than she had ever encountered. Angus had never thrown her about the way Toothless did and she almost wished he did. Toothless ran along the path and jumped off the side of the ledge near the water and spread his wings in flight. The wind felt like it would take her face off and she loved it. The way it wove into her hair and combed through made her feel wonderful, and as they flew higher into the sky, she couldn't help but throw her head back and close her eyes. Gliding through the air was beyond relaxing and opening her eyes, she saw a view she could not have even imagined existed. They had gone above the clouds and she could feel the dampness of them that was quickly dried by the wind also rushing by.

"This is amazing!" Merida exclaimed, nearly forgetting to hold on. She wanted to let her hands touch the sun but they instead clung to one of the belts wrapped around Hiccup's body.

"Isn't it?" he agreed, "And it's even more amazing to know that your brothers are tormenting Snotlout and the twins." Toothless dove downward, which caused a start in her stomach, and glided over the tops of trees before dipping further into a small clearing. The moment her feet touched the ground as she dismounted Toothless, she found that her legs could no longer support her. Hiccup turned around in shock. "Are you okay?" He reached out to her in offer of support but she lifted her hand to reject it. She did not need any help of his to function.

"Fine. Just… airsick." It was the only word she could think of to describe her headache and shaking. She struggled to her feet, but managed nevertheless. Brushing away the stray hairs that fell into her mouth, she gestured for him to continue with whatever it was he wanted to say.

"Right, well it's a little further ahead. We could've landed inside but it's more impressive to walk in this way." He walked forward rather quickly, his excitement showing in his step. There was a small mountainside of rocks ahead of them and she could make out an opening in the cliff. Hiccup turned with a look of uncertainty and hesitation. "I'll be right back, alright?" he said. Merida looked at him skeptically.

"Where are you off to that I can't be?" she asked. He sidestepped over to Toothless and placed a hand on his saddle, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Look, I promise I'll be right back. Toothless can't walk in the way we can. It's a bit of a tight squeeze for him. So I'll fly him in and walk back to get you alright? Just stay here." Before she had a chance to answer him, Hiccup mounted Toothless and they took off.

**Author's Note:** Hello! Thank you to PrincessEnchilada for the heads up that I've been spelling "Elinor" incorrectly and to Dimitian for finding the flaws in my work. My goodness, it is an understatement to say that I had never anticipated so many people to want me to continue writing. I had not intended to move forward with this story and truthfully, I do not have a path or trail. I really appreciate everyone who is following the story now (as I have been receiving at least one email every day for last while informing me of such) and because of that, I will do my best to finish what I've started. Please be patient as I try to create an outline as I go along writing and I hope you will continue to enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup knew she was going to kill him when he got back. What he had said was true, but he also knew she would never believe him. He was sure to get a smack when he returned. Toothless landed in the clearing and a sensation of nostalgia lifted both of their spirits. "It's good to be back, huh bud?" Hiccup asked, rubbing the side of the dragon's head and Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's hand affectionately. Switching his foot back from its flying function, he turned to find the entrance that he had so often walked through in his younger days. He slid between two rocks that acted as pillars to the entrance of the path, remembering how he had gotten stuck the first time he walked through, his shield too large to navigate past the opening. "I'll be right back," he told Toothless. The dragon nodded and went off to play in the open space that he had. Hiccup almost wished that Merida had trusted him as much as Toothless did.

* * *

><p>Merida screamed in frustration. It was beyond her belief that that boy dare to leave her out in the middle of the woods. She had no idea how they had come to be here and how to get back to the village. She wasn't sure whether to trust him and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. In her annoyance with both herself and in Hiccup, she began kicking at trees and rocks, and picking up whatever she could to chuck at the trees and rocks she could not reach to kick. A shift in the tall rocks she had been led to startled her, and she turned to see what had caused the commotion. For the tenth time, she wished she brought her bow and quiver. Had he lead her into a trap? She couldn't be sure, but she stepped back and slowly bent down to pick up a branch that she had used to abuse a tree and held it as a weapon. Brown hair sprung forth. Merida groaned when Hiccup emerged from the rocks in both relief and anger.<p>

"You scared the life out of me!" she complained, throwing her club to the ground. He held his palms to face her, his eyebrows raised when he saw that she had had a weapon in her hand. It was a bit more than he had expected to be threatened with.

"Didn't mean to scare you. I told you I'd be right back," he explained. "It's just this way." Hiccup pointed to the path he had just appeared from. Her face crumpled, anger showing in her eyes, and she paused to think of whether she should take her irritation out on him. Her curiosity burned strongly though, and possibly with greater strength than her anger did. Without another word, she followed him into the crack in the rocks. He was aware of her anger and silence and did nothing to make conversation as they walked through, only speaking when he had a warning to verbalize. "Watch the rock her, it's slippery," he'd say. "The ceiling is lower here. Watch your head," he'd warn. "Almost there," he'd reassure. His words somehow calmed her. She turned her focus from her anger to the short instances of attention that she was distracted by with the help of Hiccup's words. The gestures were simple, basic and courteous. There was nothing particularly pleasant about his actions. There was nothing particularly kind. And yet, she was grateful for his benevolence. It wasn't a behavior she often encountered and she couldn't imagine it would be one that he would come across very frequently either. The Viking and Scottish community did not find their pride in filling their population with chivalrous and well-mannered citizens. In fact, it was often the complete opposite that had come to thrive.

As she decidedly over-thought his actions, he paused and Merida found her nose in contact with Hiccup's back. He turned around and grinned at her as he began to walk backward out of the end of the tunnel. "Ready?" he asked, excitedly. The path was smooth and clear from there on and she nodded, still mildly confused over his enthusiasm. Merida followed him slowly out of the crack between the giant rocks into a green clearing. She gasped at the sight, taking in the quant beauty of it. It was nothing like the Fire Falls, but it had its own magnificence. The area was decorated in light greens, light blues, pale grays and shades of brown, all colors which brought warmth to her heart and a fresh rush to her head. Although the space was small, it had the room to possess an undersized pond, and a few gatherings of trees. And in her mind, it was a place no one else could see; a place she was free to do all she wanted, or nothing at all. "It's nice, isn't it?" he prompted, wanting for her to speak. He was having difficulty reading her by her expression alone. Her opened mouth turned into a meek smile as she began to walk forward toward the center of the clearing.

"How did you find this place?" she inquired, still looking about. He noticed that he did not get an answer to his question but answered hers regardless.

"It's where Toothless and I first started to get to know each other." She could tell that there was more to hear of this story and found a space on the grass to begin to seat herself. Smirking, Hiccup took the hint and sat near her, giving a wide berth of space between them. "When he lost part of his tail, he ended up stuck here," he began, gesturing to the area around them. His expression was rather grim for a story of their meeting, though she understood the reasoning. "He was forced to spend a lot of time with me. With a broken tail, he couldn't fly out on his own. I brought him food to make up for what I had done, and eventually he started to trust me a bit." There was a look of wistfulness on his face and he stared blindly for some time. Merida looked again at the scenery, and then at the dragon that seemed to be prancing through it. Being told that there was happiness and history and pain in this location gave it so much more meaning than it had had before, and the idea warmed her heart a bit; although she would never admit it. "I learned a lot about dragons when I was here. It was a big deal for me." He turned to address her. "It's hard to relearn an entire history, you know?" She wasn't sure if she was meant to answer, and so she withheld from doing so. Hiccup continued without receiving a response and so she accepted her actions as correct. "I had always thought that our way of life was the only way, and finding Toothless, well, he changed everything." Hiccup sighed heavily and lean forward onto his knees, hugging them. "This place reminds me of all of that." He stopped himself for a moment, realizing he was ranting to the princess. She likely didn't want to hear much of what he had to say about the subject, especially when he dug too deeply into it. It wasn't the general knowledge that she had been curious about.

"I think, I understand," Merida said, breaking the silence that sat so awkwardly between them. She looked up at the sky and put her hands into the grass below, leaning back and stretching out her legs as she did. "It's not much, but it's important. It's a place where you can escape and just be yourself. You don't have to live up to anyone else's expectations or rules. And you can do what you feel instead of what other people tell you that you feel. It's your freedom." Hiccup looked at Merida in slight surprise as she spoke. At the time, this place was a sanctuary and he was grateful for it, but no one seemed to understand the way he had felt about the dragons and his place in the village. He had always been a bit of a misfit, and still was. The idea that the Princess of DunBroch was one of the only people he had ever met to understand him was a shock. Hiccup began to wonder to himself about her life and how she had lived it. As curious as he was, he wasn't sure asking her directly would cause a positive response.

"That's exactly it," he muttered, deciding to dignify her explanation. It had deserved at least that much of him, if not more. Merida faced him and made direct eye contact, her expression serious, but soft. The sharp color of her blue eyes made him nervous and he didn't dare move.

"Then I understand perfectly." They had another bout of silence before she looked away again. Hiccup swallowed whatever had been lodged in his throat when she caught his eyes and turned to find Toothless.

"Um, are you hungry?" he asked Merida. He got up and called the dragon over. Merida stood as well, following behind him and nodding.

"I could eat," she replied. From the satchels on Toothless' saddle, Hiccup produced a couple loaves of bread and tossed one to Merida casually. He then put the other loaf into his mouth and pulled out a handful of fish by the tails and lay them on the ground for Toothless to eat. When all had been fed, Hiccup found a rock to seat himself. She went to join him. "This is nice," she said, chewing on the tough bread. He hummed, agreeing with her. They did not speak as they ate and they allowed the sounds of the world to fill the silence.

"Berk isn't so bad now is it?" Hiccup challenged, trying to prove its worth. The island wasn't much, but it was his home. Merida chuckled at the remark while a chunk of the last piece of bread muffled the laughter.

"Is this still Berk? We're pretty far away aren't we?" He scoffed.

"Nah, we're only a bit a walk off. The village is nearby," he assured. She was surprised at the distance, and a bit annoyed with herself. She wanted to yell at him for taking her here in such a convoluted way that she would be lost, but had to admit to herself that she had been thankful for the flight. She looked around at the clearing again to decide what she would make of it.

"Not bad for Berk. I've seen better." She said it in a way that was clearly meant to set him off. Hiccup wasn't particularly sure if he should even argue. She was probably right. Instead, he laughed and Merida, in her shock, laughed along with him. Their enjoyment was cut short however, when Toothless decided that he wanted to play. A wave of water poured over them and sent a sharp shock into both of their spines. When they opened their eyes and wiped away the dampness, they could see Toothless snickering mischievously. Hiccup grinned, briefly looked at Merida and ran at the dragon, tackling him back into the body of water and soaking them both. Merida laughed and ran in after them, figuring she might as well join the excitement. The water was rather shallow, only coming up as high as her waist. Even as she was damp, she still experienced a sharp pang of cold attack her but she welcomed it. She had jumped in deliberately and spilled the water over Hiccup. He called out and returned the favor. It had been such a time since Merida had played like this. She recalled the last instance being with her mother after she had turned her into a bear. It wasn't the best of recollections, seeing as it was at the point when she began realizing the severity of their situation, but regardless, it was a memory she had enjoyed.

* * *

><p>The sun had gone far beyond the centre of the sky and had begun to set. They rested on the rock that they had eaten on and found that it had become more comfortable than it had been earlier. They were damp and cold, but the air was still pleasant. They sat back to back and Merida leaned onto Hiccup, caring more for her own comfort than his. For some time, Hiccup had almost forgotten that he had brought her here to ask her about her family. The fact that she was now leaning on him did not make the situation any easier to think through. All he could think of was the fact that her hair was touching the nape of his neck. Although he was chilled to the bone, the warmth of her back on his was comforting and he tried to focus on it while thinking of how he would word his questions.<p>

"Merida, what's your dad like?" he asked bluntly. He couldn't see her face, but he could almost imagine that she was scrunching her nose in confusion.

"Why do you ask?" He shrugged.

"He's a lot like my dad. I think."

"Yea, he is." Hiccup waited for her to continue. "He can be a little crazy," she admitted. "He likes fighting and hunting and eating. He's the prime example for Scottish men." As she spoke, she emphasized t It was an honest answer, and one that Hiccup was hoping he would not hear. However grateful he was for her candor, it still remained that he was uneasy with her reply. Fergus reminded him too much of Stoick, which implied that he was equally as stubborn and equally as inclined to run face first into battle. Hearing this fact only stressed Hiccup out even further. Hiding the dragons had become just a bit more crucial. Hiccup understood that kings (and chiefs alike) were less likely to think things through the way he or Merida did. Perhaps it was an issue of the gas between generations.

"Great…" Hiccup muttered.

"What?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing. We should get going." Hiccup stood suddenly, causing Merida to fall back onto the rock and she grunted when she landed. She rubbed her head, slightly peeved with Hiccup's discourteous behavior, and got up to follow him towards Toothless. It was feasible that he did gain traits from his Viking surroundings.

Again, he mounted first and her second. She grabbed tightly onto the belts on Hiccup's back and they jolted off into the sky, the take off giving her mild whiplash. It didn't matter how often she was up in the air, it would never tire her how beautiful the view was. The clouds were colored in pinks and purples and she sighed heavily. To his surprise, she leaned the side of her head on his back and stayed there, still using her hands to distance herself from him. The small bit of affection made him blush and he tried hard to focus on the skies ahead of him. Perhaps it hadn't been the most useful of days; not by anyone's standards. But it certainly wasn't one he particularly regretted. Maybe it was a day that he would like to have a bit more of, though he wasn't entirely certain. Maybe it was in the day and not the person. The more Hiccup began to question himself, the less he believed anything he had to think of. It was probably best that he shut up.

**Author's Note:** My goodness, this story is rather popular. It gives me a bit of power in all honesty. To which I assure you I will not abuse. I have a couple of chapters planned out in skeletal form, and the overall plot has been vaguely planned. Thank you all so much for your feedback and constant support. You've all been just lovely. If you see any issues in the story, do feel free to point them out and I will do my best to fix whatever needs fixing. See you next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a while since she had went for a walk with her mother. They were not outings that she had regularly gone out of her way to attend, as they often included fairly tedious silences followed by discomforting conversation. This instance had been no exception. They were walking along the edges of the residential zone of the island and Merida tried to distract herself from her mother's silence with the sounds of waves crashing against the cliffs. She hadn't wanted to initiate the conversation that hung still in an air that blew heavily. However, it had also occurred to her that if she did not say something soon, they would be out for a very long time. She wasn't certain if this was of great concern to her or not.

Others wandering around them could not see their tension and only looked on with a bit of inquisitiveness, their excitement deceasing. It was interesting to watch the development of their concern towards "the royal family". Merida supposed that they had been around long enough that they had become yesterday's news. Above the stormy waves, she heard her mother take a deep breath; something she did before she delivered difficult news.

"Merida, I'm sure you know by now that we cannot leave our lands without a ruler," the Queen began. Merida assumed her mother was referring to their home, though it confused her as to why she had not named it as such. This conversation could have gone several directions and Merida made the effort to pay special attention to what her mother would say. Elinor was being weary of her speech, and although it had not come to her attention, the tone of her voice made Merida very suspicious and concerned. "It has already been a fortnight since we arrived and we've been from home for too long."

"Aye," Merida agreed, her voice steady and slow as she drawled out her agreement in an attempt to push the conversation along. "We're going home then?" She couldn't decide if she was excited or disappointed. Despite the marriage ordeal, Berk had proven to be mildly more interesting than she had anticipated. She wanted to know more and her curiosity was truly getting the best of her. But those thoughts, she found, needn't concern her as her mother's response was startling in contrast.

"No, you're father is," she replied firmly, refusing to make eye contact with her daughter with the knowledge that there would be displeasure in her expression. "And he's taking your brothers with him. I'm sure they've stayed long overdue their welcome."

"So that means I'm staying here," Merida said. It was less of a question than it was a statement of realization.

"As am I," Lady Elinor added. Merida noticed how her mother had not denied that she had been confined to the island.

"For how much longer?" she inquired. She tried to hide the disdain and panic in her voice, though it was apparent that her mother didn't care to notice it.

"For as long as I see that we need."

"We need? Or I need?" Merida emphasized the difference in subjects, accusing her mother of forcing her into the engagement. This was a tone of voice that Elinor was far too familiar, and she was taken aback by its spontaneity.

"Now Merida," she huffed, "I'm only doing what's best for you."

"Mother, we've been through this!" Merida stomped at the ground and began to throw her hands into the air. "I thought we've been through this!" Elinor stopped mid stride and turned to face her daughter and hold onto her upper arm lightly.

"Merida, I do not want to force you into anything. Nobody does." Her eyes were intense and Merida had the feeling that her mother had finally become fed up with her accusations and misunderstandings. "Love is not a thing to rush, you have to learn that." The princess groaned. "And so we shall stay for as long as we can so that you may see this boy in full heart and soul. And when you can, and you still want to leave, then we can leave. Can you really say you wouldn't even think of him if we up and left?" Merida's lips thinned at the question. She had already thought of this concern, and at the time, she tossed it away with belief that she needn't worry. Merida couldn't answer her mother definitely with assurance of either. Maybe she would miss Hiccup, but she certainly wasn't in love with the boy. Even if he had grown in the years that they had been apart, he was still rather scrawny. He was prideful and constantly annoyed with her. And to top it all off, Hiccup was very self-righteous. Or at least, he seemed this way. It wasn't that she was purposefully trying to point out his flaws in an attempt to hide her feelings. It needn't go that far. She didn't love him and she knew it. Yet, she could not say that she would not miss Berk if they had left. She did not retaliate against her mother any further.

"Fine," she muttered. Elinor released her daughter's arm and they continued their walk without the same tension that had previously haunted them. Merida couldn't help but admit that the village would certainly benefit from the loss of her brothers. She could imagine Snotlout and the twins (whose name she could hardly recall) would miss them greatly. Their reign terror would return to Maudie, the housekeeper. Poor lass must have had such a pleasant vacation.

* * *

><p>The pleasantries went on without a hitch, though there were some complaints on the part of the two fathers. Their friendship had become strong in the past two weeks through drinking and the sharing of hunting stories. Of course, with her father being gone, it also meant that her brothers had left as well. This was to the relief of many villagers, as their reign of terror had finally ended. She couldn't help but have felt guilty for throwing her brothers at the villagers. As much as she loved her brothers, it didn't hurt to get away from them at times.<p>

After the farewells, Elinor and Merida returned to the home that they had been provided. Not long after they had settled back into the place, Hiccup came knocking with the offer to take the Princess out again. Of course, the Queen was only too eager to get her daughter of the house with her potential suitor. As soon as they were out of earshot, Hiccup told her what he had planned for the day.

"Really?" Merida exclaimed. She was more excited than she would have liked to let on. "You'll let me see the academy then?" Hiccup nodded, amused that she could be this excited. He had anticipated that she had wanted to enter the place the day she had found out the dragons weren't dangerous, but he hadn't imagined that she would react this way.

"Yep. I figured it was time to really introduce you to the other Dragon Riders. Kind of like a trust building exercise. Except with a whole lot more potential to blow up in everybody's faces," he explained, muttering the last sentence. Giddy with excitement, she couldn't bother to be worried about meeting the others. She had been curious about the dragons more than anything else. Merida recalled faintly that Hiccup had once listed a few names of species, but could do nothing to remember exactly what they had been. No matter, she would simply relearn them when she arrived. Hiccup led her down the winding road along the side of the island. The stone path divided into two; one that led down to the lower docks from whence she had emerged when she arrived on the island, and the other that directed them to a bridge. In fact, there were a few bridges, all of which connected the mainland to smaller islands out by the bay. With the way the island curved into a crescent shape, it felt like she was stepping into it. At the end of the bridge was a large metallic dome with wooden supports. They approached the entrance way that had been carved out of the rock that existed there. Large logs framed the doorway and staircases on either side, as well as supporting a wooden sign in the shape of a shield that hung in front. On the shield was a drawing of a black dragon. The red on its tail reminded her of Toothless and she was able to make out the rest of his features as well. Merida paused in front of the gates momentarily, marveling at the size of the arena and the intricacy of the cage atop. "Are you coming?" Hiccup asked. She hadn't noticed that he had walked nearly twenty paces ahead of her and was almost down the steps. She demanded that he wait for her and ran to catch up with him. The entrance was drawn open from above and as they stepped out of the shadows, Merida gasped. The arena felt larger from the inside and although the place was mostly emptied, it still looked rather impressive. Along the sides of the space there were wooden structures that held various weapons such as swords, axes, and maces, while other structures displayed shields of various designs. Among the artillery were water troughs that she could only assume were for the dragons to use, though they were the only things in her sight that seemed to exist for them. "We carried a lot of the training gear inside in case anyone managed to sneak out here without our noticing. Since it's just your Mom now, I guess we could actually pull them all back out now." She took this to mean that they had feared that her brothers would have found them. They did have a knack for being where they weren't to be. It was truly a talent. "Come on," he said, gesturing with his hand that he wanted her to follow him. "Everyone would be in the back. I should warn you, they don't know you're with me. If I had told them, they wouldn't have come in today." Merida nodded, understanding his meaning. She wasn't any more excited to meet them they were, though she was likely a lot less resentful. At the other end of the arena was a tall wooden gate with a huge metallic padlock hanging from it. Upon closer inspection, there was light pouring from the crack in between the entrance. The padlock swung uselessly on the closed door and Hiccup swung the other open a bit too over dramatically. Inside were great and magnificent beasts. Merida took a deep breath when she took in the sight of the dragons and their riders. At first they were shocked, though it was a reaction that did not last very long.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Astrid asked aggressively. Merida's eyebrows furrowed. Her first impression of the girl was not progressing well. Hiccup held up his hands against her as she stomped forward.

"She's just here to look," Hiccup clarified. Both parties looked like they wanted to object to his explanation but thought it best not to.

"Hiccup," a timid voice called. Fishlegs stepped forward as he spoke, as if it would highlight his meek presence. "Do you really think it's a good idea to bring her here? I mean - ."

"It'll be fine," Hiccup said, feeling as if he was saying this to reassure himself more than anything. No one else dared to speak, and an elephant began to grow in the room to an immeasurable size. Hiccup cleared his throat in the midst of the silence and proceeded with what he had partially planned. "Guys, this is Princess Merida," he began. Merida nodded awkwardly, as if to acknowledge the presence of those around her. Nobody else moved. Hiccup turned to Merida and gestured out to the rest of the riders. "Merida, this is Fishlegs, Astrid, Snotlout, and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut." Again, nobody moved. Each dragon rider stood respectively next to their dragons, and Merida could see that they somehow matched. Each of their personalities, appearances, and attitudes were comparable to their dragons. Some of the riders stepped protectively toward their dragons and glared at Merida as if she would snatch them away from them; as if she could. It was frustrating to think that they despised her to this degree with so little knowledge of her. She had come here to learn more about the dragons that may possibly quench her insatiable curiosity, and this was not treatment that she had particularly favored. Merida slowly walked toward the larger boy named Fishlegs who seemed the most passive and pleasant. He reminded her only slightly of the boy from the clan MacGuffin and she found that relating him to the boy made him much more approachable. The dragon hopping about next to him was large, round, and lumpy. It had its tongue out and was panting while looking curiously at just about everything, similarly to a dog. She walked toward it slowly and to everyone's surprise, the dragon leapt forward to meet her weary hand. After rubbing its nose on her palm, the dragon licked and cuddled Merida. Other than the sounds of Meatlug's slobber, the room was silent. Merida laughed at the playfulness of this dragon and chose to ignore the glares she was receiving. Fishlegs grabbed hold of Mealug protectively and pulled her back and way from Merida. The expression he wore was pained and worried and she wasn't sure how to react to it. While the two stared at one another and Meatlug playfully tried to break free, the tension thickened even further. Hiccup decided that perhaps this was enough for one day.

"Well!" he exclaimed, awkwardly grabbing Merida's wrist and leading her to the entrance way. "It's getting late and I should get you home. Been a big day!" He said these statements with obvious discomfort and it was simple to grasp that he was creating lies as he spoke. Merida figured it would be best to follow his lead for now as she knew things would not be progressing well from this point on. But despite that, she couldn't help but to look back to see the longing glance given to her by the bulky dragon that welcomed her so easily. It probably astonished everyone when it had been so friendly, and for some reason, Merida hoped that the others would come to see that was harmless the same way the dragon had. Maybe when she came back tomorrow, and the next day, she would grow on them just a little bit.

**Author's Note:** I have a lot to say today so please bear with me.

After a very long an arduous journey, I have created an outline and ending for this story. It has been an adventure but I now know the path to take. That being said, updates will not likely regulate. Apologies.

My most recent obsession with Big Hero 6 has sparked a possible story. I will not begin work on this until two criteria have been met: 1) I finish this story, and 2) I have a decent amount of support (from you guys?).

I have also begun to put energy towards making writing commissions available and I've decided to make it known to those who enjoy my writing. More detail can be found at .com.

Thank you for putting up with me and I will see you in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

The next day at the academy was no better than the first. Meatlug was able to greet her openly once more, and Fishlegs did little to stop her. In a way, it could have been considered an improvement. So perhaps the first statement was a bit over dramatic. Perhaps saying that it had been no better had been a lie. But the truth of the matter was not that much better than the lie had been. Merida hadn't been sure as to when, but eventually Fishlegs seemed to relinquish Meatlug to her. With her brothers and father back home, the dragons were allowed out of their confinements and into the main arena more regularly. Apparently, during the last two weeks, they had been in and out of the arena in secret. She often wondered where they would be taken, and wanted to ask so many more questions than she knew would be appropriate. It had still yet to be seen that any of the dragon riders would speak to her beyond one-worded answers.

* * *

><p>"How could you let her in here?" Astrid said, aggressively stepping toward Hiccup. It had been a week since the princess had infiltrated their academy, and the dragon riders had been more than tolerant of her in their personal opinions. It had surprised Hiccup that they had waited this long to cause a scene. He stood his ground when he spoke. He was unmoved by the fact that Astrid was the first who chose to voice their opinion. For a very long time he had feared her actions as much as he had her words, for they often correlated with his pain. However, he was learning to understand that she respected his decisions if he looked like he knew what he was doing.<p>

"We've got to learn to trust each other to figure this out!" he explained, clearly annoyed with their annoyance of him. "Look, we have a serious problem here! If we can't find a way to get the DunBroch clan on our side, we might have a war on our hands. From what I know, their King is just like my dad. And if I know my dad, he wouldn't be too happy with some place that isn't his with this much fire power. It's dangerous. And they could potentially see it as a threat. A lot of other Viking nations already do and I can't imagine if even one of them found out. Remember when cousin Dagger came for a visit? The only way we're going to get through this is if we think and work together." Astrid looked at him with an exasperated expression and sighed.

"Alright, fine," she agreed, "What're you going to do about it?" Hiccup's shoulders relaxed. Many of times, he found that if Astrid was able to see his side of an argument, it wasn't long before the others followed her lead. He may have been considered the leader of this group, but he knew that most of their respect was handed to Astrid, and for good reason. The girl was both terrifying and brilliant.

"I'm thinking that we'll either need to make a deal with the princess, or we find a way to break it to the royal family without starting a war."

"Easier said than done," Tuffnut muttered, shrugging his shoulders characteristically.

"And that's why we need to get along with Merida."

"Meatlug does seem to like her, so she can't be that bad, can she?" Fishlegs offered. Hiccup was glad he had finally gotten a smidgen of support from his friends, even if it had been from the one with little to no backbone. No one had anything to say in retort to his comment. Merida had found a way to win over all of their dragons; it was a fact that even they could not deny.

"Well, what do they know?" Snotlout questioned after some thought, "They don't know her the way we do!" The twins called out in agreement.

"But we don't know her the way they do either," Fishlegs argued meekly.

"The dragons would have been able to tell if she was dangerous," Astrid confessed. "They would have sensed something by now. As much as I hate to admit it, Hiccup could be right about the princess."

"Right, so maybe do you think we could try to get along?" Hiccup was given responses in the forms of grunts, moans and shrugs. It wasn't the most reassuring of answers, but it had been enough for them. The princess had gone home for the evening and the rest decided to turn in as soon as their complaints had been heard and taken care of. He was exhausted.

* * *

><p>When Merida returned to the academy the next day, she almost felt welcomed. The stout one spoke to her and even offered to let her feed his dragon. She believed he was referred to as something about fish meat. Merida hadn't fully grasped the concept of their strange names quite yet. Hiccup had told her something about Viking superstition and the idea of ugly names helping to ward off evil spirits. Seeing how capable they appeared to be now, it seemed like they were only stuck with strange names.<p>

"She likes you," the boy commented. Fishmeat? That could be a name, couldn't it? She didn't want to say, just in case.

"Well, I like her too. She's sweet. What's her name?" Merida asked.

"Meatlug." She nodded and scratched under Meatlug's chin as the dragon nuzzled into her body. There was a moment of silence as neither of them could decide what to say. Frankly, this was much more conversation than she had expected. She hadn't expected anything at all.

"You don't have to force yourself to talk to me alright?" she said, sick of the silence. "I know none of you like me." The boy took a deep breath, as if he had been desperately trying to hide his discomfort.

"Well you didn't give off the greatest first impression last month," he replied carefully. "And because of your family, we've had to hide all of the dragons. It's been hard on us too."

"I suppose. But that's not my fault! I'm trying to get off of this island just as badly as you want me to." Neither spoke for a while.

"I guess if Meatlug likes you, I could try to be your friend too." Merida smiled genuinely from his statement.

"Thanks. So, what is Meatlug?" He couldn't have been any prouder to begin speaking in that moment. She feared she has asked one of the most dangerous of questions.

"Meatlug is a dragon from the Boulder Class, called a Gronckle. This beautiful specimen of dragon has a shot limit of 6 and eats rocks that she melts in her mouth to produce lava!"

"Oh great, you've got him started." One of the boys decided he needed to interrupt the meeker one she spoke to, whose name she still could not recall.

"Meatlug is an amazing dragon, for your information. She friendly, and loveable, and -"

"But can she compare with the Monstrous Nightmare?" The boy stood back to present an extraordinarily large dragon, though he did little to conceal it before he had moved. Merida had to admit that she was rather impressed with the ferocity that came with the appearance of the Monstrous Nightmare, particularly in comparison to Meatlug the Gronckle. The dragon was rather striking. It stood at almost twice the boy who had presented it and had intimidatingly long horns that Merida could not help but admire.

"Leave them alone Snotlout," one of the girls spoke. She wasn't one of the twins, though Merida still did not recall her name fully. For a princess, she really was quite terrible with remembering people's names. It was likely due to the fact that she hardly made the effort to meet with others outside of the castle grounds. This girl was aggressive looking to say the least. Her stance was powerful and nobody dared to get in her way, despite what they said. "No one wants to hear about the dragon you haven't trained."

"I have to trained him Astrid! Hookfang is just full of tough love; like me!" As he spoke, the dragon made the clear effort to lean its head over Snolout and place a large amount of weight on his body. He grumbled something most unintelligible, though Merida couldn't fathom that it had been anything worth hearing. Despite the dragon's attitude, and the attitude of its owner, she quite liked its appearance.

"Besides," Astrid continued proudly, "it's nothing compared the Deadly Nadder." She walked around to her brightly colored dragon and placed her hand on its nose. "Stormfly is not only beautiful, but dangerous as well."

"Not to mention she looks like a chicken!" Merida recognized it as the voice of the male twin. Turning to look at him, she glanced over just in time to see him give a high-five to his sister. Their long faces and even longer blond hair characterized them rather clearly. That is not to say that they were saddened or upset in any shape or form. They actually appeared to fairly amused by their own antics, and Merida noticed that even Snotlout could barely stifle his chuckle.

"She does not look like a chicken!" Astrid cried, throwing her large battle axe in their direction. She narrowly missed as it flew menacingly between their heads and into a wooden target behind them. Merida couldn't decide whether to be amazed by the miracle that had saved their lives, or the skill and humility Astrid had shown in not killing them. Regardless, it was a sight to behold. "She's beautiful and dangerous."

"Yea yea," the female twin retorted, barely acknowledging Astrid's claim. "We all know that Barf is the coolest dragon. Isn't that right Barf?" She began cooing at the left of the two heads on this long necked dragon.

"Uh, no. Belch is way cooler," her brother interjected, shoving his sister. She shoved him back with more vigor.

"In your dreams, stupid!"

"Yeah? Well in your dreams I have horns and I'm huge and Belch is my loveable sheep!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"I never make sense!" Merida stared at the two for a moment without a word to think to say. Hiccup walked toward them to break the scene.

"Guys." Everyone laughed and Merida almost felt like she belonged in this band of misfits. Despite any other hidden motivation that they might have had, she couldn't help but feel grateful for their attempts at welcoming her nevertheless. Amidst the laughter and insults, Hiccup turned to smile at her and she gave a grin in return.

"You're not as bad as we pegged you for Princess," Astrid commented, approaching her. Merida could see Hiccup's shoulders stiffen when the girl spoke as if he appeared to be alarmed by her. It was in her personal opinion that, aside from Fishmeat, Astrid was the most reasonable of the dragon riders present. She could have been horribly wrong.

"Thank you?" she replied, uncertain if the statement had been a compliment or not. Thanking the girl who had recently retrieved her battle axe was a rather questionable act on her part. Astrid placed her heavy hand on Merida's shoulder and smiled before walking back toward Stormfly. There was a sense of relief that deflated her torso when Astrid's hand left her shoulder. The smile somehow indicated to her that perhaps she would not try to kill her after all. As enticing as a battle seemed to her, Merida did not want to test the toughest looking Viking in the lot. The others also dispersed rather randomly amongst their dragons and it was Hiccup's turn to approach her.

"Well, that went better than expected," he commented. She could barely make out his wry grin as he stood next to her and stared off into the distance, most likely observing that his friends did not destroy the academy.

"That's an understatement," she replied.

"I talked to them all yesterday about… some things," he explained. "But I'm surprised they listened to me."

"They seem to like me well enough."

"If anything they're tolerant of you. Trust me, if you give them a reason not to like you, they'll latch onto it like dragons to dragonroot."

"Like dragons to _what_?"

"Never mind." Merida kept a mental note to remember to ask him about it later on. "Just, be careful with them. They're sane only because they think they could lose their dragons. And even then, they're only barely sane."

"They're not so bad." A silence fell between them and she thought about whether her statement had meant to be reassuring to him, or a lie she came up with to reassure herself. She decided not to dwell on it. "I really like the dragons."

"Yea, I can tell," he chuckled. Merida checked to be certain that the others were not in earshot before speaking again.

"They're a lot easier to handle than their riders. And they're so much easier to read. You don't have to be on guard all the time and listen for sarcasm or subtle things. Everything they do is genuine and real and you never have to worry about them lying to you. Everything they do makes sense."

"I know what you mean." His gaze met hers when she looked up at him, confused. When she saw his eyes, she was taken aback and prayed she hadn't looked as red as she felt. It was convenient that her face was almost constantly flushed through the paleness of her skin tone.

"Do you?" she recovered. "You're the chief's son. You are the village's voice." Hiccup grimaced and glanced around the arena in search of something else his eyes could focus on.

"Before I found Toothless, I was the village's biggest disappointment." Merida tore her gaze away from his profile when a twinge of guilt stabbed at her. It was not too long ago when she felt that he had had no potential either. To see him the way he was had given her quite the shock when the last she had to compare him to was a scrawny child. He did not look so much like a Viking as he did a twig. It seemed most of the villagers thought the same way. She didn't think this way anymore of course. He was stronger now. His stance was prouder and he spoke with conviction, which looked to be a new prospect for him. But leadership suited him. Despite all of this, thinking of his past-self appeared to be a sore subject for him. He sighed heavily. "He completely changed my life. After I met him, I didn't feel so alone anymore. So, yea, I understand how you feel about the dragons."

**Author's Note:** Hello! I'd like to apologize for the lateness of the chapter! School is my first priority unfortunately, and I thought to finish about ten essays before continuing with this. The number is not an exaggeration. I hope you enjoyed the chapter however, and I'll be sure to finish this! No Fear! (By the way, has anyone noticed my reference both in that last statement and in the title of the fic? No? Okay.)

Also a quick reminder that I do have a commissions project up right now on tumblr. Catandsquid-picturebooks is officially a thing for me to do. So hit me up anytime.


	8. Chapter 8

"I know I told you that you could wander around the woods now since you know our little secret, but what are you even doing out here?" Merida DunBroch was seated out in the middle of a clearing working away at a fairly sizable sandwich. The sight would not have been particularly remarkable if she had perhaps chosen a closer location to the village for her little picnic. Hiccup had wandered out to this area of the woods in search of more dragon nip. It was always useful to have some extra on hand, used only as a treat to the dragons or when dealing with difficult training scenarios.

"I came out to shoot of course," she replied, her mouth full and surrounded with breadcrumbs, making her accent even less intelligible. He pursed his lips unconsciously at the sight.

"Right." Hiccup eyed the wooden bow sitting by her knee and remembered cautiously how ready she had been to initially attempt to kill a dragon with one of those. He couldn't help but wonder how much damage one could do. He also couldn't help but wonder how good she was with it. Promptly finishing her bread, Merida wiped her face with her sleeve and stood. She didn't wait for her mouth to empty itself before speaking again and Hiccup struggled to understand her.

"Do you want to try?" she asked.

"No thanks. I'll stick to the old standby." He patted at the crossbow that had been slung over around his back and Merida scoffed at the sight.

"If you'd rather that monstrosity, then a bow is not for you." This was clearly a challenge and although he was not regularly a fairly competitive person, he did not appreciate having his knowledge questioned.

"Monstrosity?" he retorted. "A crossbow is efficient, and faster than a bow and arrow."

"There's no skill to it. Not like a bow. Anyone can shoot a crossbow!" She elongated the sound of last syllable as if mocking it.

"That's kind of the point," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "It's easy to use, so I use it."

"It's not the point!" she insisted, using her bow as a pointing stick now. "You can't feel anything when you use that thing." She continued to speak while nocking an arrow to her bow and aiming at a distant tree. "When you shoot an arrow with a bow, there's a rush. You pull the string back and it's fighting you. Then you take a deep breath, find your target and whoosh! The next thing you know it's gone flying past you and you've got an arrow through your victim." As she recited the last sentence, she inhaled into her core and released the arrow, sending it flying into the trunk of the tree. Hiccup hadn't noticed he was staring until her shoulders relaxed and she turned to look at him. The vivacity of her blue eyes shocked him and he tore his gaze away so quickly he thought he would give himself whiplash.

"You really like archery huh?" he asked, casually looking back at her; at least, he hoped it had been casual. An attempt was made to be casual. He hadn't known it possible, but her red cheeks reddened further when she realized she had been passionately going on about archery. Merida had been told for many years, by her mother in particular, that archery was not lady-like. And after all of those years, the release of emotion for her was refreshing and she forgot entirely of any mannerisms that might have been hammered into her before. It was not that she had particularly listened to her mother with great frequency, but rather that she had become unknowingly selective of the topics of which she spoke at the dinner table. Very rarely did she have the opportunity to elaborate on what would have been considered inappropriate conversation, as her mother often tuned her out. Talking to Hiccup the way she had had given her a different sense of freedom than she was used to. Riding into the glen and climbing mountains just didn't feel the same way.

"Yea…" she mumbled, frustrated that a sudden meekness overcame her. Hiccup made an audible breath and shrugged his shoulders.

"All right, I'll give it a shot." Merida's gaze jerked up from the ground where she had been staring so intently, to Hiccup who was now walking toward her.

"Really?" she asked, obviously taken aback by his sudden interest. He held out a hand, indicating that he wanted her to pass him her bow.

"Yea, just show me how," he said. The task seemed so simple to him but she wasn't sure where to begin. It wasn't something she could just teach. Merida gripped her bow tightly before relinquishing it to him and his hand sank at the weight of it. The piece of wood didn't appear to be as heavy as it felt, seeing as it was also rather thin and long. Merida noticed the shock and commented on the bow's structure.

"This is yew wood," she began. "It's a pretty heavy wood but it's also strong. I made sure of it. And the bow is a horse bow. For shooting on horseback. Usually for hunting and shooting long distances."

"You shoot on horseback?"

"Obviously, if I've got a horse bow." Of course. "There just don't happen to be any horses around here. Only dragons." Hiccup could see the shifty movement of her eyes and he had a feeling he knew what was going through her mind at the time, though he wasn't certain he wanted her to ever ask it of him. A silence fell between the two of them and he realized that she realized what he had been thinking as well. The silence became nearly unbearable. Merida shook her head, as if clearing her mind, and continued her lesson. "If you're going to shoot, first you have to learn how to hold it. Your hand goes on this middle part you see. You're left-handed, right?"

"Right."

"Right-handed?"

"No, you're right, I am left-handed."

"Right. So you hold the bow with your right hand then." She secured his position by placing her hand over top of his. He noted how much smaller her hand was in comparison to his though it was far from soft and dainty. But for some reason, it was that roughness that gave him more security. She was a princess. He had almost expected a dainty touch and a delicate texture, despite what he had seen of her. Merida shoved him forward with a flick of her wrist. "You fall on your left foot, which is good. I probably should have checked that first." Lifting his right arm up, Merida used her foot to knock his left leg back and his right leg forward. She even took the liberty to kick them harder back and forth when they did not appear to be in the position that she wished them to be in. The more she kicked him, the more he began to think that she took to a leadership role too well. She obviously enjoyed bossing him around. "They should be about a shoulder width apart. Now, try pulling the string back." Hiccup gently and forcefully pulled back at the tension filled string. He could feel the tightness bend the piece of wood in his right hand ever so slightly. As soon as he felt that he could pull his arm back no further, he began to let go. "Stop!" Merida exclaimed, causing Hiccup's heart to leap. Thankfully, he was able to cling onto the string of the bow.

"What?" he asked, panicked.

"Don't just let go of the string without any arrows in it! You'll break my bow!"

"Well you should have told me before! What do I do?"

"Just, slowly, bring the string back without letting it go."

"Alright, alright." Merida gently guided his left arm back and he could feel goosebumps tickle his arm, even though his armor was arguably too thick to really feel her touch. Once the bow was relaxed again, Merida pulled an arrow from her quiver and handed it to him, though judging by her hesitant actions and the expression on her face she was tempted to take the weapon from him.

"Hold the bow up again and take the arrow and have it sit just above where your hand is. There's a thing at the end which is where the string is supposed to be." Surely enough, at the end of the arrow behind just beyond the feathers was a small notch that allowed the string of the bow to sit securely in the arrow. As Hiccup brought it up to the bow and clumsily attempted to align it with her instructions, he couldn't help but stare at the intricately carved pieces in the woodwork of the weapon. Beyond the dark leather wrap that indicated his hand placement, the carvings he had described traced along nearly the entirety of the bow's length. There was a specific carving that he had wanted to inquire about: an eagle in flight. Breaking his concentration, Merida tugged harshly at his left arm, frustrated after having asked him to draw the arrow back several times to no avail. "Pay… attention…!" she struggled. As soon as he had noticed, he pulled his arm back, throwing the princess off of her balance ever so slightly. "Alright," she said, steadying herself, "aim for the same tree over there." Merida pointed at the trunk of a tree that had previously experienced the brute end of her demonstration. Hiccup awkwardly shifted his body to the left and took a deep breath, the same way he had seen her do, and released his arrow. The projectile went careening into the leaves of the tree. Hiccup's arms flew upward as the force from the bow's string threw him off balance with a shot. Merida was on the floor laughing before Hiccup even had time to process what had transpired.

"Whoops," he muttered, dropping his right arm to his side and rubbing the back of his neck with his left. He looked up into the branches and could just make out a small bit of white and brown from the end of the arrow.

"'Whoops' he says!" Merida guffawed, mocking his tone. "That was the worst shot I've ever seen!" Hiccup pursed his lips, not wanting to appear overly frustrated with her. He had, after all, tried his best. It wouldn't have hurt for her to show a little bit more compassion for his learning curve. Her laughter seemed to calm a little when she spoke, though it was still a bit too uncontrolled for his liking. She wiped a tear from her eye. "Okay, okay, one more."

* * *

><p>The sun was setting now, and it likely best that they did not continue to shoot sharp projectiles in the darkness. However, it still felt too early to simply go back to the huts, and so the two decided instead to sit in the grass and watch the setting sun. It was times like these that Hiccup could not complain about living on an island. Most of the time, Berk was covered in rain and fog, so a setting sun was not a sight he often saw. But evenings like this made his life a little more pleasant.<p>

"Hey," Merida called out. When Hiccup turned his head to reply to her, he saw that she had not pulled her eyes from the sunset. He looked back, so not to seem like he was staring at her. Given an empty mind, he might have idly caught himself paying too much attention to the beacon of orange hair again.

"Yea?" Hiccup replied.

"Why'd you change your mind?"

"About what?"

"About archery."

"You really seemed to like it."

"Yea." Merida's brows furrowed as she realized the warmth in her that had been apparent ever since she had begun teaching him earlier that day. This feeling that he gave her was rather unpleasant. The fact that he made an attempt to look into her interests was discomforting and she assumed the worst of him. It was possible that he really was trying to go through with the proposed marriage ceremony. She couldn't bear to go through with it; she couldn't bear to give her mother and all others involved the satisfaction. "I'm going back." She made the sudden decision and stood without any warning. Hiccup hurriedly took off after her, nearly tripping over his feet as he got up.

"Hey, wait up!" he called. Frustrated with herself again, she refused to acknowledge him. Call it a mood swing if you'd like, but she did not like the type of progress their relationship had made. She did however, slow her pace. It seemed unnecessary and awkward to make him trail behind her as they walked in the same direction. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to head back." Merida knew Hiccup realized her lie, but she really couldn't care less about what he thought about her. It's not like she needed his approval of her. For a while, they walked together in silence. Occasionally, he would adjust his crossbow, which she had believed to be sitting rather securely on his back. It had either found itself misaligned, or Hiccup felt a nervous twitch that could only be satiated by constant involuntary movement. He could not personally understand why it was that Merida had suddenly felt offense to being in his presence. And although he never had a mother figure to look to in these times of need, he had lived in the same village as Astrid and Ruffnut; he knew not to question sudden flares of emotion, good or bad. He did not know, however, what to do during these flares of emotion. Was he to stay silent? Was he to speak of other distracting subjects? He chose to opt for the second alternative.

"I haven't heard anything from your mom in a while," he offered. If was to speak at all, it was not to be about anything regarding her anger. If he did so at all, it was to be done at a later time, in fear of another explosion. She didn't look at him when she spoke.

"Mum believes in leaving us alone to bond 'intimately'."

"That's creepy," he replied. Hiccup wondered if this was what had been bothering her. She had reacted so similarly to the comment as she had to his interest in archery. But truthfully, he couldn't have made a definite guess. After another small bout of silence, Merida chuckled a little to herself. It was gratifying to know that he had still found the idea of marriage as discomforting as she did.

"Agreed."

The air cleared with that small exchange and Hiccup's mind came to rest. While he relaxed, a thought came crawling back into his mind; a task that he had set out to accomplish today. He had forgotten to retrieve any dragon nip.

**Author's Note:** Hello! I hope you enjoyed this fluffy chapter. My archery experience actually came into use here! Exhilarating. They had a really good day of getting along, which is a difference for them, however welcome or unwelcome. I'm not sure how many of these days will exist but we'll see. Thank you all for so much of your support. It really makes me happy to know that you're enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying writing it! I really appreciate it!


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